The Civil Society Alliance – Assam, a solidarity group committed to the cause of promoting and defending indigenous peoples’ rights for peace, justice and equality is expressing to voice its deep concern regarding the proposed financing development model of privatizing the historical monuments of Ahom Kingdoms of Sivasagar district and kaziranga National Park of Assam being crafted through the ambitious ‘adopt a heritage’ in the state. CSAA believe that this kind of aggressive project pose greater challenge to sustainable and people-oriented development which institutionalize the private control over the resources and divert the government attention from addressing the social concerns in a new form of advancing neoliberalism. It is also a thought-provoking matter of concern now for the indigenous people because such privatize sector move may facilitate human rights violation, including land grabbing and displacement of the native community in the long run.
The Alliance group is also deeply concerned about increasing private sector involvement in the state in various forms are becoming an increasingly important actors in social development process. This kind of PPP model which is known is also a privatization by other means in the state run system which has gained momentum since the failure of privatization programs initiated by the International Financial Institution (IFI) such as World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other bilateral and multilateral institutions across many counties earlier.
In a solidarity statement, CSAA would also like to urge that Government of India to comply its international human rights commitments and obligation of Rights of Indigenous Peoples as drawn in United Nation Declaration of the Rights of the Indigenous People, adopted by the General Assembly in 2007 (UNDRIP, Article 11) that Indigenous peoples have the right to practice and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artefacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature.
The Civil Society Alliance – Assam, a collation of NGO, Community Based Institution, indigenous Peoples Organisations & social activist, being connected to this land by virtue of aboriginal are urging to withdraw the current proposal of privatizing modality of corporatizing the historical monuments & national park of Assam instantly to address the negative consequences in order to defend the community control over the basic services and resources for development justice. The alliance also would like to urge the Government for its policy towards the use of development resources for private financing implementation to replace with greater and more democratic public sector leadership with the enforcement of regulatory mechanisms to ensure transparency for people. The press release has been shared which is being endorsed by North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS) – Jorhat, United Women Rights Protection Forum, - Upper Assam, Chutia Yuva Sanmilan, Assam – Jorhat District Committee, People Right Forum - Dhemaji, The EAST, Tezpur and Social Activists of the state.
8 Apr 2015 - 10:11am | editor
Dozens of sitting Congress MLAs are likley to stay out of the poll contest early next year. The ruling party is unlikely to field them again. But the party leadership are trying to call it their...
2 May 2014 - 12:31pm | AT News
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi seems to have felt the heat of the ethnic frenzy that has claimed 12 lives in BTAD areas within the last 24 hours.ULFA’s anti talk faction has condemned the attack on the...
17 Sep 2010 - 7:28pm | editor
People of ward no. 6 of Nazira town, Sivasagar district have captured one Anil Mahali (50) on Friday, when he tried to molest a 5 years old girl. Later the accused was handed over to the police.
7 Feb 2014 - 7:50pm | AT News
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that he was the happiest of all in the Congress to have ensured the victory of the two ruling party candidates apart from the BPF candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls....
A car and two trucks were damaged during the BTAD bandh that paralyzes Bagsa district on Thursday.The bandh enforcers stopped movement of all vehicles in the area, threatening to destroy them.The bandh, supported by the Rabha Hasong Students Union, was called to protest against the alleged killing of people of the Rabha Hasong ethnic community in police firing and clashes in Goalpara district during the panchayat elections on February 12.Markets, shops, offices, banks, educational institutions remained closed and vehicles kept off the roads in the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts comprising Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Baksa and Chirang districts.
The sporadic incidents of violence that cripples Goalpara and Kamrup rural district are spreading to BTAD areas. A Congress party office and three trucks were on Thursday set ablaze in Udalguri district and vehicles damaged in Baksa district forcing police to open fire in the air to disperse persons using force to impose the bandh in the area.During the 12-hour BTAD bandh, called by the Rabha Hasong Joint Action Committee, unidentified persons poured kerosene on the Congress office, Rajib Bhavan, at Tangla in Udalguri district and set fire to its wooden doors and windows.The police fired in the air at Kalaigaon to disperse a group of persons using violent means to impose the bandh by...
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday ordered a thorough judicial probe into the poll related incidents in Goalpara. The judicial panel will find out if the protests against the elections were instigated. Talking to reporters in Guwahati on Wednesday, he said that violence took place in 22 places. He further owned up full responsibility for the violence.He defended the elections and criticised the Opposition for blaming the government and not those who were disrupting the elections. The government has announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh for the families of those killed in the police firing.
The death toll in the poll violence in Goalpara district has gone up to 19 with three more people were killed in police firing on Wednesday.Thirteen people have died in police firing and six in clashes between the Rabha Hajong tribe, which is opposing the ongoing panchayat or local elections, and members of other communities. The police said that they had to take resort to firing to disperse the an irate mob of Rabha Hajong people who burnt down villages and attacked government officials. They wanted autonomy in this part of the state and rejects government control. It believes that panchayats or village councils will undermine its own council's authority.Eight columns of the Army,...
In an exercise that is bound to embitter the Assam-Nagaland relationship, a section of local organizations have allege that the neighbouring state has allegedly set up two polling stations along the interstate border in Golaghat and Sivasagar districts. The district administration of Golaghat on Tuesday sent an objection to Nagaland to withdraw the same. Golaghat district administration has conducted a magistrate level inquiry into the allegations and finally sent an objection to the deputy commissioner of Wokha to withdraw their polling booths. On the other hand, Wokha district administration tried to set up a polling booth at Merapani Town Lower Primary School in Golaghat district. But...
At least fifteen people were killed on Tuesday when security forces clashed with a group of protesters who tried to stoop panchayat polling in the Rabha Hasong Council area in Goalpara district. Details awaited.
The third and final phase of panchayat polls are over to be marred by a string of sporadic incidents of violence on Tuesday.Polling began at 7 in the morning to be closed in the afternoon where huge turn out was registered in Dhubri, Cachar, Karimganj, Hailakandi, Barpeta, Nalbari.Incidents of arson erupted in the Rabha hasong council areas in parts of Goalpara and Kamrup rural districts,Voters in these areas had to confined to their homes because of the 36 hour long public curfew. Several houses along with poanchayat offices and polling booths were set ablez. Poll candidates were attacked and even a section of polling officials were not spared.
A 36 hour long public curfew hits normal life for the second day on Tuesday as Joint Action Committee has called a 'janata curfew' from 7 am till 7 pm on Tuesday opposing the hustings. People remained indoors, shops and markets kept their shutters down, offices, educational institutions and banks were closed, while vehicles went off the roads.
Arson mars the third phase of panchayat polls in the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council areas of Kamrup (Rural) and Goalpara district on Tuesday.The 36 hour long public curfew has compounded the problem that cripples the normal life in the areas. Around eight schools set up as polling booths were torched along with two trucks and market sheds by unidentified miscreants in different parts of the district. Three schools - Hatipar, Machenokhuwa and Sekhapari lower primary schools - were completely gutted in Boko police station area in the morning. A truck was set ablaze at Khorkhori under Chaygaon police station. Another truck was torched at Bondapara under Boko police station...
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said that his government has kept the doors open for peace talks with ULFA. But in the same breath, he said that there has to be peace. Talking to reporters in Kolkata on Sunday, he said that there was a ceasefire with ULFA's pro-talk faction and the process is on. He was in Kolkata at attend the prize distribution ceremony of the annual flower show at the Agri Horticultural Society of India.
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